Taking Center Stage – Act II (TCSII)

A Portal for Middle Grades Educators

Chapter Five
Relationships

Real learning does not happen until students are brought into relationship with the teacher, with each other, and with the subject. We cannot learn deeply and well until a community of learning is created in the classroom.1

Recommendation: Foster close relationships for accountability and engagement among students and with adults who share extended time through grade-level, subject-area, or interdisciplinary small learning communities. Provide an advisory program to ensure that each middle grades student has frequent contact with an adult mentor to plan and assess his or her academic, personal, and social development.

Content Sections

• Quality Middle Grades Foster Relationships

• Small Learning Communities

• Relationships with Peers
  • Opportunities to cooperate (cooperative learning)
  • Relationship building through student clubs and connections
  • Sports
  • Competitions
    • Academic competitions
    • Nonacademic competitions
  • Celebrations—a culture based on caring and success
    • Academic celebrations
    • Effort/motivation celebrations
    • School spirit celebrations
    • Character celebrations
    • Promotions
    • Bullying
• Relationships with Adults
  • Adult mentors
  • Qualified and caring teachers
  • Advisory programs (homeroom)
  • Looping
  • Classified staff
  • Counselors
  • Discipline

• Conclusion

• Appendices
  • Appendix 5-A. Relationships Recommendation in Action
  • Appendix 5-B. Teaming Practices Related to Relationships
  • Appendix 5-C. Relationships: Chart of Initiatives that Support Student Achievement
  • Appendix 5-D. Online and Print Resources on Relationship

Footnote
1Parker J. Palmer, To Know as We Are Known: Education as a Spiritual Journey. San Francisco: Harper, 1993, p. xvi.

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